Chapter 36
Even though he had not activated his ultimate learning state, or super, right now.
The proof he had already completed, however, was deeply etched into his mind.
In mathematics, either you did not understand a thing, or you understood it all.
Meanwhile.
The atmosphere outside was gradually changing too, becoming somewhat unusual.
Because everyone had noticed.
So far, not a single true heavyweight in mathematics-someone who had at least won a Fields Medal-had come forward to refute Jiang Ye's proof as wrong.
None of the great mathematicians had come forward, much less any of the famous mathematical research institutes around the world.
Instead, a few jumping clowns kept posting on Twitter, prompting viewers who claimed he had cheated to keep liking and reposting their tweets.
This gave the viewers who firmly believed Jiang Ye was a genius a huge boost in confidence. They argued fiercely, backing their points with facts and reason.
And when Jiang Ye began discussing the Riemann Hypothesis, quite a few viewers perked up at once.
Even if they were not academics, they knew the famous Riemann Hypothesis.
Which of the seven Millennium Problems was the most famous?
The Riemann Hypothesis.
Which of the seven Millennium Problems was the hardest?
The Riemann Hypothesis.
Which carried the most weight, and whose solution would do the most to advance mathematics and other disciplines?
The Riemann Hypothesis!
Needless to say, everyone was watching the screen at that moment, awed without understanding. Even if they could not follow it, they had to watch.
Because they might very well be witnessing history!
"A friend of mine in mathematics told me that Professor Faltings has studied the Riemann Hypothesis more deeply and understands it better than anyone else in the field right now. His understanding of it is probably the best in the world today."
"Is he really that impressive?"
"Let me fill you in on his background first. Faltings is one of the most outstanding scholars since the Grothendieck era, one of the founders of modern algebraic geometry, and second only to the pope of the field. Even the Fields Medal is nothing much in his eyes."
"I've opened a little window on my phone to keep an eye on Professor Faltings's Twitter. I'm sure he'll announce his conclusion as soon as he has one!"
"So even a professor like that hasn't solved the Riemann Hypothesis, and what makes you people think he can? Stop supporting him blindly and look at this rationally, OK?"
"He's someone who's good at making miracles happen. You people who claim he cheated will never understand miracles!"
The School of Mathematical Sciences at Shuimu University in Dragon Country.
Inside a spacious lecture hall.
All the students, professors and lecturers from the mathematics department had gathered.
On the large screen above the main lectern, the image showed Jiang Ye.
"Senior, we don't even know if he can solve it. Isn't the university making too much of a fuss?"
"I just took on a research project recently. I'm already busy as hell."
"Who isn't? But what can we do? The university made attendance mandatory. Sigh!"
[The author is currently speeding up updates. Once the conjectures are finished, we'll get to the main story. Please keep supporting me. To make it up to everyone, there will not only be extra updates today, but a burst of chapters tomorrow to make up for what was missed before.]
Chapter 36: He Was the Face of Huaxia's Younger Generation to the World (Begging for All Kinds of Support)
The students whispered complaints among themselves, but the teachers did not dare. They could only sit quietly, looking at the abstruse equations, awed without understanding.
What he had written certainly looked convincing, as though he knew what he was doing. Hopefully, it would ultimately be recognized and yield the correct conclusion. Otherwise, it would be a colossal embarrassment.
That was what the teachers were thinking.
As for the gray-haired professors, their eyes were fixed on the screen.
At a time like this, even if they could not understand, they had to pretend they could.
Outside the lecture hall, Shuimu's president, Li Chengyong, was observing what was happening inside with several vice presidents.
"No one's absent, right?"
His secretary replied at once, "President, all the students, teachers and professors from the mathematics school are here."
Li Chengyong nodded. Seeing this, the secretary took the opportunity to ask, "President, the students don't seem to be in very good spirits."
Li Chengyong glanced at him. "It seems you don't have much faith that Jiang Ye can solve a Millennium Problem!"
"Leaving the Millennium Problems aside for now, the three conjectures he solved earlier have already made him the face of Dragon Country's younger generation of mathematicians to the world."
"And if he really does solve a Millennium Problem, the teachers and students in that lecture hall will be grateful to me for letting them witness history today."
Li Chengyong smiled and walked on. "Mathematics is not only a young discipline, but also the domain of geniuses. Seventy percent of its outstanding achievements come from talented young people under forty-five."
"He has a very good chance."
Now that he had explained his reasoning, no one spoke again, and the group gradually walked away.
Backstage at National Insight, the six directors and Charlie, the DuPont Consortium's representative, were watching just as closely.
"Although I don't believe his argument will be correct, Mr. Charlie, suppose that really does happen. How should we handle it afterward?"
Taking the opportunity, the chief director probed, "Should we replace him?"
They had already analyzed the cost of replacing him. It would also mean that the goals the production team and the ten major consortiums wanted to achieve would be greatly undermined.
Charlie chuckled. "No. Why replace him? We only have a chance while he's on the show."
"Once he's finished his argument, wake the tiger up and force him to focus on survival."
"As for the scientists, compromising once was enough. You should know that science has no borders, but scientists do have nationalities."
The chief director nodded. "I know what to do, sir!"
Once Jiang Ye finished his argument, the production team could intervene boldly and without worry.
When faced with outside pressure, would the scientists really care about Jiang Ye's safety?